Tilt thresholds for acceleration rendering in driving simulation

Abstract

The tilt coordination technique is used in driving simulation for reproducing a sustained linear horizontal acceleration by tilting the simulator cabin. If combined with the translation motion of the simulator, this technique increases the acceleration rendering capabilities of the whole system. To perform this technique correctly, the rotational motion must be slow to remain under the perception threshold and thus be unnoticed by the driver. However, the acceleration to render changes quickly. Between the slow rotational motion limited by the tilt threshold and the fast change of acceleration to render, the design of the coupling between motions of rotation and translation plays a critical role in the realism of a driving simulator. This study focuses on the acceptance by drivers of different configurations for tilt restitution in terms of maximum tilt angle, tilt rate, and tilt acceleration. Two experiments were conducted, focusing respectively on roll tilt for a 0.2 Hz slaloming task and on pitch tilt for an acceleration/deceleration task. The results show what thresholds have to be followed in terms of amplitude, rate, and acceleration. These results are far superior to the standard human perception thresholds found in the literature.